Jaren Kuester Was Jailed Days Before Triple Homicide in Lafayette County

Jaren a Waukesha man accused of killing three elderly people in Lafayette County, had been in jail just days early after exhibiting strange behavior at Humane Animal Welfare Society.

Kuester brought in a deceased dog about two weeks ago to the animal shelter. He returned around 9:30 a.m. Thursday stating the dog was alive and he was walking through the animal shelter, the Waukesha Police Department’s call log states.

Kuester was arrested but he was bailed out Friday, according to Patch’s media partners at WISN 12 News.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting Kuester was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

"When they told him the dog had been cremated, he became belligerent, threatened staff and tried to walk through the building," Humane Animal Welfare Society Executive Director Lynn Olenik told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He said we would pay because his dog was dead."

Kuester was arrested without at the Willow Park Apartments, 1001 Delafield St., Sunday afternoon by the Waukesha Police Department, which was working with the Department of Criminal Investigations to make the arrest. A vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle driven by the homicide suspect was parked at the apartment building on Sunday.

Lafayette County sheriff's deputies said a family member reported finding a person dead on Sunday morning inside a home in Wiota, according to Patch's media partners at WISN 12 News. When the officers arrived, they found two more people dead inside the house, the station reported.

The victims have been identified as Dean Thoreson, 76; Gary Thoreson, 70; and Chloe Thoreson, 66, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

The three victims did not know suspect, according to WXOW.

A missing person alert was issued over the weekend in Green County after Kuester had last been seen Friday afternoon. He was possibly partially naked after discarding clothes along a path in Green County and authorities warned he may have been in an altered mental state, according to Madison.com.

Kuester was convicted of battery, disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon in Waukesha County from a November 2001 offense. He also was convicted of battery for a 2000 offense. Since the November 2001 incident, his convictions in Wisconsin have been for traffic-related violations, including operating while suspended in Milwaukee County.

"He was a troublemaker as far as I'm concerned," his neighbor Dave Jones told WISN 12 News.

When Kuester lived in the 2000 block of Norton Avenue, he damaged walls and broke doors when he trashed his parents house in November 2000. At one point, he tackled his father, broke his glasses and threw Gatorade at his face, according to a complaint.

In November 2001, Kuester was one of four people who beat up another person in the 100 block of Cecilia Court, according to a complaint. When police arrived, they found the victim covered with blood on his face and shirt, as well as a 2 inch gap that required staples to close.

The victim told Waukesha investigators that Kuester was one of four people who hit him with a billy club. The fight started after Kuester's brother pushed the victim's girlfriend at school. 

"Do you have a problem with my brother?" Kuester asked the victim before the victim was hit in the head according to the complaint. 

Kuester told Waukesha investigators he was trying to hit the victim in the butt but hit his head instead, the complaint states.

Kuester attended Waukesha North High School where he wrestled and was one of six brothers, according to a 2008 Waukesha Freeman article.